Travel control device, travel control method, and non-transitory recording medium

Abstract

A travel control device includes acquisition part acquiring surrounding vehicle information and surrounding road environment information of a host vehicle and control part performing blind area avoidance control based on the surrounding vehicle information, the surrounding vehicle information includes a detection result of an adjacent vehicle traveling on a lane adjacent to a lane on which the host vehicle is traveling by a side sensor provided in the host vehicle, and the control part performs at least one of determining whether the host vehicle is overtaking the adjacent vehicle and suppressing the blind area avoidance control while the host vehicle is overtaking the adjacent vehicle, and determining whether the adjacent vehicle is overtaking the host vehicle and suppressing the blind area avoidance control while the adjacent vehicle is overtaking the host vehicle.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A travel control device comprising a processor configured to:
 acquire surrounding vehicle information and surrounding road environment information of a host vehicle; and   
       perform blind area avoidance control for making the host vehicle avoid traveling in a blind area of a surrounding vehicle based on the surrounding vehicle information,
 the surrounding vehicle information including a detection result of an adjacent vehicle traveling on a lane adjacent to a lane on which the host vehicle is traveling acquired by a side sensor provided in the host vehicle, 
 wherein the processor performs
 determining whether the host vehicle is overtaking the adjacent vehicle based on the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at a current time and the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at a time before the current time and suppressing the blind area avoidance control while the host vehicle is overtaking the adjacent vehicle, and 
 determining whether the adjacent vehicle is overtaking the host vehicle based on the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at the current time and the detection result of the adjacent vehicle by the side sensor at a time before the current time and suppressing the blind area avoidance control while the adjacent vehicle is overtaking the host vehicle, 
 
 the processor is configured to determine that the host vehicle is overtaking the adjacent vehicle based on the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at the current time and the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at the time before the current time when a state in which a value after subtracting the speed of the host vehicle from the speed of the adjacent vehicle is less than or equal to a first threshold value continues for greater than or equal to a first determination time period, 
 the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at the current time and the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at the time before the current time are detection results of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at a timing when at least a part of the adjacent vehicle is positioned in a first determination area that is set at least at a front side of the host vehicle, 
 the side sensor is arranged at the front center of the host vehicle, 
 the distance between the front center of the host vehicle and a rear end of the first determination area is set to a value of 1 m to 5 m, 
 a front end of the first determination area is set at a position where it is possible to get a time change of a relative position of a rear end of the adjacent vehicle with respect to the host vehicle for 0.5 second, 
 the distance between the front end and the rear end of the first determination area is set to “A[m/s]×0.5[s]+margin[m]” where A [m/s] is a relative speed of the host vehicle with respect to the adjacent vehicle. 
 
     
     
         2 . The travel control device according to  claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to
 determine whether to suppress the blind area avoidance control, and   calculate a degree of acceleration or deceleration of the host vehicle for suppressing the blind area avoidance control.   
     
     
         3 . The travel control device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the processor is configured to lift suppression of the blind area avoidance control when the adjacent vehicle is no longer in the first determination area after starting the suppression of the blind area avoidance control.   
     
     
         4 . The travel control device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the processor is configured to lift the suppression of the blind area avoidance control when a second determination time period elapses after starting the suppression of the blind area avoidance control.   
     
     
         5 . The travel control device according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the processor is configured to determine that the adjacent vehicle is overtaking the host vehicle based on the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at the current time and the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at the time before the current time when a state in which a value after subtracting the speed of the host vehicle from the speed of the adjacent vehicle is greater than or equal to a second threshold value continues for greater than or equal to a third determination time period.   
     
     
         6 . The travel control device according to  claim 5 , wherein
 the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at the current time and the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at the time before the current time are detection results of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at a timing when at least a part of the adjacent vehicle is positioned in a second determination area that is set at least at a rear side of the host vehicle.   
     
     
         7 . The travel control device according to  claim 6 , wherein
 the processor is configured to lift suppression of the blind area avoidance control when the adjacent vehicle is no longer in the second determination area after starting the suppression of the blind area avoidance control.   
     
     
         8 . The travel control device according to  claim 6 , wherein
 the processor is configured to lift the suppression of the blind area avoidance control when a fourth determination time period elapses after starting the suppression of the blind area avoidance control.   
     
     
         9 . A travel control method comprising:
 acquiring surrounding vehicle information and surrounding road environment information of a host vehicle; and   performing blind area avoidance control for making the host vehicle avoid traveling in a blind area of a surrounding vehicle based on the surrounding vehicle information,   the surrounding vehicle information including a detection result of an adjacent vehicle traveling on a lane adjacent to a lane on which the host vehicle is traveling acquired by a side sensor provided in the host vehicle,   wherein   determining whether the host vehicle is overtaking the adjacent vehicle based on the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at a current time and the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at a time before the current time and suppressing the blind area avoidance control while the host vehicle is overtaking the adjacent vehicle, and   determining whether the adjacent vehicle is overtaking the host vehicle based on the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at the current time and the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at a time before the current time and suppressing the blind area avoidance control while the adjacent vehicle is overtaking the host vehicle,   
       are performed,
 the method comprises determining that the host vehicle is overtaking the adjacent vehicle based on the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at the current time and the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at the time before the current time when a state in which a value after subtracting the speed of the host vehicle from the speed of the adjacent vehicle is less than or equal to a first threshold value continues for greater than or equal to a first determination time period, 
 the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at the current time and the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at the time before the current time are detection results of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at a timing when at least a part of the adjacent vehicle is positioned in a first determination area that is set at least at a front side of the host vehicle, 
 the side sensor is arranged at the front center of the host vehicle, 
 the distance between the front center of the host vehicle and a rear end of the first determination area is set to a value of 1 m to 5 m, 
 a front end of the first determination area is set at a position where it is possible to get a time change of a relative position of a rear end of the adjacent vehicle with respect to the host vehicle for 0.5 second, 
 the distance between the front end and the rear end of the first determination area is set to “A[m/s]×0.5[s]+margin[m]” where A [m/s] is a relative speed of the host vehicle with respect to the adjacent vehicle. 
 
     
     
         10 . A non-transitory recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program for causing a processor to execute a process comprising:
 acquiring surrounding vehicle information and surrounding road environment information of a host vehicle; and   performing blind area avoidance control for making the host vehicle avoid traveling in a blind area of a surrounding vehicle based on the surrounding vehicle information,   the surrounding vehicle information including a detection result of an adjacent vehicle traveling on a lane adjacent to a lane on which the host vehicle is traveling acquired by a side sensor provided in the host vehicle,   wherein   determining whether the host vehicle is overtaking the adjacent vehicle based on the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at a current time and the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at a time before the current time and suppressing the blind area avoidance control while the host vehicle is overtaking the adjacent vehicle, and   determining whether the adjacent vehicle is overtaking the host vehicle based on the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at the current time and the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at a time before the current time and suppressing the blind area avoidance control while the adjacent vehicle is overtaking the host vehicle,   
       are performed,
 the process comprises determining that the host vehicle is overtaking the adjacent vehicle based on the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at the current time and the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at the time before the current time when a state in which a value after subtracting the speed of the host vehicle from the speed of the adjacent vehicle is less than or equal to a first threshold value continues for greater than or equal to a first determination time period, 
 the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at the current time and the detection result of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at the time before the current time are detection results of the adjacent vehicle acquired by the side sensor at a timing when at least a part of the adjacent vehicle is positioned in a first determination area that is set at least at a front side of the host vehicle, 
 the side sensor is arranged at the front center of the host vehicle, 
 the distance between the front center of the host vehicle and a rear end of the first determination area is set to a value of 1 m to 5 m, 
 a front end of the first determination area is set at a position where it is possible to get a time change of a relative position of a rear end of the adjacent vehicle with respect to the host vehicle for 0.5 second, 
 the distance between the front end and the rear end of the first determination area is set to “A[m/s]×0.5 [s]+margin[m]” where A [m/s] is a relative speed of the host vehicle with respect to the adjacent vehicle.